Remotely accessing NAS

[Aaron2004]

Does anybody know if it's possible to turn a NAS into a vitual drive, making it accessible from our office's laptops through any hotspot?

Are there any security issues doing this? I've tried some research on Google, but the whole NAS craze is fairly new and there's not a lot of info on remote access. It would be nice to work away from the office, but connect to our drives as if we were there.

Thanks,

Aaron

[Jeff Mottle]

It really depends how you set up your NAS and how your network is configured. Most of the better ones do allow for remote access via FTP. For some you just have to enable a checkbox, punch a hole in your firewall for port 21 and then you will be able to access your files via FTP.

FTP does not work that great as a file share, but there are a number of utilties out there that allow you to map an FTP to a drive letter, so it can work a bit better. (ExpanDrive for example)

As for security anytime you allow remote access to your network there is risk involved. The most secure way to allow remote access to your network is to use a VPN. Most higher end firewall/routers have VPN functionality. This will allow you to use a software VPN client to punch a secure hole past the firewall and allow access to your network. Doing this also means that your NAS does not have to have remote access functionality as the VPN will allow you access to your private network. As long as your NAS it available internally, your can set up drive mappings to the IP of the NAS server. The drawback to VPNs is they are considerably slower to use than FTP or local NAS because the data is being encrypted and decrypted.

I use OpenFiler, which is a Linux based software NAS. (Open Source) I just install it on an old workstation and this allows me to create a NAS as big as I want. I also have a Cisco ASA 5501 firewall and use VPN to access my entire network when I am travelling. Cisco appliances are not fo the faint of heart. While I can some administration, I found it easier to hire someone to set it all up for me. I hired the guy at http://www.keyitconsulting.com/ he configured it before shipping the firewall to me and all I had to do was plug it in and it worked. When I need to set up any custom rules I do that on my own.

[Aaron2004]

Thanks, Jeff!

[Ernest Burden]

My NAS, a Buffalo TerraStation, is simply another item on my network. I mapped the NAS as drive Z: on all computers (so I don't use 'network places', just 'my computer'). It's super-simple. My laptop is usually plugged in to a network cable, but if not, I access the network via wi-fi and the NAS drive is just as accessible. The security is as good as the wi-fi is set to be. Reaching the NAS drive is inside the router's firewall.

Buffalo also has an option (off by default) where you can have the drive connect to their website via a username, so you can access the drive through their site from anywhere. No need to set up FTP, have a static IP or anything else. But that obviously makes the NAS slightly less secure.

[dannydesil]

I'm a Mac user with a DSL wireless modem/router. I've been looking at NAS (network-attached storage) drives, but I've never used one. I'm wondering if I can access a NAS remotely (when I'm away from my office) without my computer being on. (I'm familiar with Back To My Mac, but it seems buggy and I'd prefer not to leave the 'puter on 24/7).

Can I access a NAS drive connected to my router/modem without a computer powered on? If so, do I need a static IP?

[Jeff Mottle]

Originally Posted by dannydesil

I'm a Mac user with a DSL wireless modem/router. I've been looking at NAS (network-attached storage) drives, but I've never used one. I'm wondering if I can access a NAS remotely (when I'm away from my office) without my computer being on. (I'm familiar with Back To My Mac, but it seems buggy and I'd prefer not to leave the 'puter on 24/7).

Can I access a NAS drive connected to my router/modem without a computer powered on? If so, do I need a static IP?

As long as you have the type of NAS that does not need to connect directly to a computer and just to a network connection, the only thing you'll need to keep powered up is your router and switches if used. I think most NAS devices automatically use static IP addresses as you'd not be able to connect to them otherwise without knowing the new IP each time. Some have special software like Ernest was speaking about, but that is not what you want if you are trying to access from the outside. I'm speaking about static IPs on the inside of your network. Having a static IP on the outside interface of the firewall is required if you don't want to have one of your machines powered up. If you are like most, you have a dynamic IP. To get around this you can use a service like DynDNS (http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/ddns.html) which is a coupling of an app installed on a machine behind the firewall and a service they host on their servers to communicate IP changes to their DNS servers. The app on your machine monitors your IP address and communicates the IP address to them. This is tied to a special URL for example yoursite.getmyip.com. You would then use this URL to connect to your NAS as it will always resolve to the proper IP address. Remember this does require that you have a machine on all the time.

[Ernest Burden]

Originally Posted by Jeff Mottle

Some have special software like Ernest was speaking about, but that is not what you want if you are trying to access from the outside.

To explain better, the Buffalo NAS has the ability to be accessed from anywhere on Earth via the Buffalo website. The NAS is connected to the network, so no computers need be on at the time. And for security, this feature is OFF by default.